Scarlet Hmm, you guys don’t understand how struggle-some the internet here has been since I arrived. Yupp, I am back home in 9ja and while I’m happy to be back, the wi-fi has been flogging somebody low key. Ugghh. On the very, very bright side I came back to this dress I didn’t pick up the last time I was home and coincidentally, I had a Christmas event at my baby sissy’s school where red was part of the dress code. It all worked out really well and I ended up wearing it. On to my favorite part of this ensemble is definitely the jewelry set. Wahhhhhhhh!!! Wahhh, it’s soooo beautiful. It’s 13 layers of pure beauty and yesss, it’s by Fulfill Jewelry, hehe! It’s good to be back home but this heat has been FRYING me. I’m not complaining that much though. So, a funny story, I went to the market with my mum and I wore a pair of shorts that were apparently too short for Nigerian standards. Ahnahn, I was too hot and they were neither tight nor bum shorts but they were “short”. It was hilarious cause people were shouting “Hehhhhhhhhh” at me in the most Nigerian accent you can ever imagine because of my dressing. You would think it was planned but it wasn’t. It took me a while to figure out that they were referring to me haha. With immediate effect, I zipped up my jacket o! Ain’t nobody got time for that kind of attention especially during the holidays when the market is like a beehive. But it was a funny experience all together, haha! One more AWESOMMEE news, Miss LAJA got featured in the Young Entrepreneurs section of ThisDay Newspaper (Nigeria)! Ughh, I don’t even know what to say but I thought I was dreaming! I don’t know why but I feel awkward reading things about myself so I had my mum read it to me. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow I wasn’t ready. Cheers to many more! I hope you all are prepping well for the holidays! Countdown to Christmas! Always, Miss LAJA
AfroBiker Chic Yup, your very own African, biker babe. I would have said “Okada babe” since that’s the unofficial term for motorcycles in Nigeria but chaie, it’ll just kill the vibe but whichever one resonates with you… To each his own. Hahaha, now I can’t stop laughing at the thought! I love how this outfit mixes different trends; leather, ankara and of course a pop of color! You surely recognize this skirt’s fraternal twin from here, right? The faux-leather jacket adds a lot edge and if it’s not already obvious, I can’t stop wearing red. It has now been officially added to my list of favorite colors along with orange, purple and royal blue. Of course, I had to style my braids to complement the outfit. Woop woop! Last but not least, I have finally found the ultimate ankle boots that I can (and have been) wearing EVERYDAY! Yesss! As I write this post, I’ll be going in for my final exam of the semester in an hour! Then FREEDOM! Wish me success and I hope you all have a great weekend! Always, Miss LAJA
LAJAdin You’re probably wondering what is the meaning of this title. I know, I know but don’t these harem pants remind you of Aladin? Kinda? Not really? I like to think so, hehe! I decided to switch up this iro blouse I wore here and give it a different twist. Again, with the hat and gloves because they just add a touch of bado-sky (badass-ness) to the whole ensemble. I really like it. What do you think? Success to everyone taking exams! It’s almost over and remember that no matter how things turn out, you are NOT your report card! Have a swell week! Always, Miss LAJA
Bold Shoulders This outfit (actually the ankara jacket) has me feeling like Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga combined because of the bold shoulders and the gloves. Accurate, maybe or nah? I love how it goes perfectly with my Fulfill Jewelry earrings and necklace. Woop woop! Plus, I can’t seem to get enough of matte, red lips this winter and just red in general. It’s becoming my go to color. It just adds life to everything… Like fire. Remember when I said it’s alright to go all out with colors for fall and winter? Well, today was one of those days. Always, Miss LAJA
Amongst The Fallen Wow, it’s December already? Wow. I can remember clearly talking to my mum about some concerns I had for my site like balancing it with school, etc, etc but here we are. Here we are, with only two weeks of school left. I’m grateful for this semester because I’ve learnt a lot of new things both in and out of school but then I’m in haste for the arrival of Christmas break. Onto my ensemble, I wore this skirt here but I didn’t think I did it justice so I decided to revisit it again. A friend lent me the hat (because I’m not a hat person)and though it seems misplaced given this time of the year, I love the feel it gives to the whole outfit. It adds a more sophisticated touch. Plus, it kept my ears warm… Kind of. Now, a mini reflection. One of my concerns this semester was how occupied and busy I would be. It’s not necessarily the fact that I always had one thing to do since that’s normal with college life but that I kept flying through tasks just to get more things done. I wasn’t consciously present in the moment. It got to the point that when people asked me how my day was, I was itching my scalp to remember because I just couldn’t give a candid answer. Times when I was meant to be “relaxing”, I couldn’t really get into it because I was too busy thinking about what I had to do after my so-called leisure time. I don’t know when I picked up the habit but I knew I didn’t like it so I started making a conscious effort to take a step back and withdraw from myself and the craziness of day-to-day activities. To learn to stop feeling like a horrible person when I wasn’t “getting work done”. To just take out time to do nothing and just chill… and not freak out about it. I can’t say I’m perfect at it now but it’s getting better. Now that finals are coming up, I feel the need to talk about this as a reminder to myself and others out there who feel the same way that it’s not the end of the world. One hour of chilling won’t kill you… Okay maybe not one hour. More like thirty minutes… or even ten minutes. You will survive. Always, Miss LAJA
Flapper Happy Thanksgiving, my loves! What are you thankful for? I’m thankful for life and the fact that I am whole physically, emotionally and psychologically; I am happy, I can walk, I can see to say the least. I’m thankful for food on the table and a roof over my head. I’m thankful for each and every person in my family, mami and papi, the realest MVPs and my big-headed siblings; we are whole and not broken up or separated. I’m thankful for my friends and how much they’ve supported and pushed me to be a better person and also for their presence during good and bad times. I’m thankful for the fact I attend a cracker-lacking, drizzer-lizzing (yes it’s a good thing, haha) university, and I’m thankful for growth. I’m thankful for my site, Miss LAJA and each and everyone of you that keeps visiting and reading and leaving sweeeeet comments! You guys don’t know how HAPPY and motivated it makes me. I just want to not do homework and keep producing content but sadly homework will not do itself. Sadly. I am also thankful for Miss LAJA and blogging because I have learnt SOOO much about myself (and the Internet) this past year and it has impacted me so much that I’ve decided to follow a different path than what I initially intended. It’s scary and sometimes I get worked up because I don’t know what’s happening or what the future holds but I am trusting God that he is in control. I know I’m speaking in riddles but at the right time, I will spill the beansss but check this out if you want an idea. God has been really faithful and I always thank him for the all the unrelenting mercies he’s shown my family and I. This outfit makes me look so tall and my legs look so long I could actually cry. You know, I am one of those people who thinks they’re taller than they really are. In my dictionary, 5’6 is tall why? Because when I wear 4 inch heels, I’m 5’10 and when I wear 5 inch heels, I’m 5’11. So yes, I am tall… Just leave me to dream okay?! *closes eyes and runs away* So thank you, heels and wide-legged trousers. I am thankful for thee. PS, I hope you all went for Black Friday shopping (I’ve gone for 3 consecutive years). Chaie, all those deals they were just sharing and sharing, Diariz God o! Lord, I thank you for self-control. I can’t wait to play around with the new items I got so stay tuned! Woop woop! Violet Jewelry Set by Fulfill Jewelry Always, Miss LAJA
LAJA Unseen #2 If you don’t know what’s happening, read this. For those of you who do, enjoy! Check out my Instagram (@miss_laja) for the name of the pose above. Hahaha! The “okay, I guess you have a point” pose The “this food has too much pepper, I never h’esspered it” OR the ” but who sent you?!” pose The “Michael Jackson taught me. Owww!” pose The “shakey shakey” pose The “it’s by force CHEESE” pose The “Uhunn but I know you’re lying” pose The “hold up, I’m answering calls on my blue tooth earpiece” OR “I really can’t deal with this anymore” pose The “Chai, I shouldn’t have gone bald now I want to cry but I must rock the look by force” pose The “where is the food I ran all this way for?” OR the “my food just spilled. Is life fair?” pose The “I’m too fly to talk to you” pose The “I guess I like you too, buddy” pose The “plucking flowers from a flower-less tree” pose Always, Miss LAJA
On Rainy Days Them cold, rainy days though. I’m really glad I FINALLY got rain boots. After 3 years of active “procrastination” and lying to myself that I didn’t need them, I finally gave in. Seriously, the kind of suffering my other shoes went through wasn’t even funny. I won’t say I love the way they feel but hey, they’re serving their purpose and they still manage to look quite pleasing to the eyes. I’ve really been loving combining royal blue with red lately. I believe you can wear any color during fall/winter as long as it’s weather appropriate. Generally, we tend to gravitate towards darker colors which is very fine and as much as I love color, I find myself doing the same. If you feel the urge to throw in some (or a lot of) color, don’t hold back. If you’re wondering what the twisted wrap looking thing is, well I made it that way. It’s a kimono that I wrapped and twisted because I felt it added more texture to the ensemble. Woop woop! back to braidsss! Chai, you don’t know how much I missed these babies. Ughh, they were long overdue. Welcome back booboos, mummy has missed you! There’ll be details on this style because they look like kinky braids but they are basic box braids. I’ll save the hair talk for another post! Always, Miss LAJA
LAJA Unseen #1 I decided to compile a few never before seen photos (more on my Tumblr) of what REALLY happens behind the scenes and throwbacks shots that had me scratching my head and cracking up. It’s so funny to admit that at some point, I felt like a G. Hmm, “All these poses I was sharing, Diariz God o!” This is what happens when you take photos yourself in front of a tripod… Alone. Some of my photos are taken by my friends and family members but I’d have to say about 90% of the photos you see on this site are taken by me and it’s something I take pride in. So, yes, a lot of interesting things happen behind the scene. Haha! #Fashionbloggerproblems. These “not-posing” poses take effort funny enough and you could say this is pretty close to how I am in real life. I have a bunch of head-scratching photos but maybe one day I’ll have the guts to unleash them all but for now, these will do. Find out the name of the pose above on my Instagram (@miss_laja). I hope you learn one or two new funky poses today! Enjoy! The “All I know is my side of the story” pose The “trying not to laugh when there’s nothing funny” pose The “jump fail” pose The “let me scratch my leg” pose The “one leg up + bone face”= stunting pose The “kiss my heels” or “look I can wear 5 inches” pose The “model my purse but not really” pose. The “acting like I saw my friend” OR “come look at this, come look at this!” pose The “ughh my head hurts but not really” pose The “grip your arm and look away” pose The “I’m about to fall but I must still pose” pose The “majestic walk up the stairs” pose The “I have a testimony” OR “posh church girl dance” pose The “show off your nails” pose The “stand in front of the camera and hope you look bad-ass” pose The “let me just run around and hope I look cute” pose Always, Miss LAJA
Hues of Blue For the most part, this is the “Ashan-wa, you’re cray. Why are you wearing a short skirt in mid November?” kinda outfit and to be honest I have no idea what I was thinking either. It was one of the less colder days so I jumped at the opportunity of a “warm” day… How delusional I was. Let’s just say I was quite a colorful, frozen popsicle by the time I got back to my room. Frozen but still fab. Woop woop! Remember when I said a while back that I’d name one of my posts “Hues of Blues”? Yes, today is that day. I kept it simple with this this flowy blouse and of course a trusty matching ankara skirt. You all know how much I love royal blue… Don’t be surprised if I get a lipstick in that color. Yes, it’s that deep, haha! Then, I did some color blocking with a touch of red. Ahh, it is well but I’d have to remind myself to put on some tights next time… Health before fashion. Always. Always, Miss LAJA